Thailand set to approve Special Tourist Visa for digital nomads

Thailand is preparing to accommodate an increasing number of “digital nomads” with eyes on Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai as work and vacation destinations.

Spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the three cities were ranked by Germany-based vacation search engine company Holidu on its list of the best ‘workation’ cities in 2021. One of the groups included in the survey comprised workers who travel to different locations, using mobile devices to perform their jobs remotely at coffee shops or public libraries.

A recent survey by the Adventure Travel Trade Association found Thailand to be among the most popular destinations for these digital nomads. Respondents cited blazing internet speeds, affordable living costs, and scenic tourist attractions are some of the factors that attracted them to the Kingdom, especially with so many others now working remotely due to the global pandemic.

The spokesperson said the government is working to accommodate the increasing numbers of digital nomads by approving a Special Tourist Visa (STV) that allows foreigners to stay for 90 days.

The visa can be extended twice, meaning tourists can stay up to 270 days at a time. The government hopes that STVs will help revitalize the tourism industry under effective COVID-19 control and prevention measures.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has commended relevant agencies and the Thai people for making Thailand one of the best destinations for travelers. He also assured that the government would be ready to listen to all constructive feedback in order to draft policies that benefit everyone.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thailand doesn’t want ALL the tourists back

 Thailand’s strict COVID measures meant international travel has ground to a halt during the pandemic.
But now, with tourism set to start up once again, the country is not sure it wants the same type of visitors to return to its shores.

Historically the country has attracted a huge number of tourists, from unruly gap year backpackers to large tour groups who show little care for the environment.

Now Thailand wants to move on from its ‘hedonistic’ history of mass tourism, with Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn stating the focus should be on “high-end travellers, rather than a large number of visitors.”

One location that would be glad to see change is the Phi Phi islands, world-renowned for their white beaches and clear blue waters. While lockdowns kept international travellers away, this region was quietly recovering from years of overtourism.

Before the pandemic, Phi Phi National Park saw more than 2 million visitors every year with 6,000 people a day making the trip to the world-famous Maya Bay. This uncontrolled mass tourism left the region’s delicate ecosystem in disarray.

“The coral cover has decreased by more than 60 per cent in just over 10 years,” Thon Thamrongnawasawat of Kasetsart University in Bangkok tells AFP.

The problem got so bad that in 2018, Thon pushed authorities to close part of Maya Bay. It has been closed ever since and, with strict travel restrictions meaning visitor numbers in the region dwindled to almost zero, nature has started to recover.

Endangered whale sharks have been seen off the coast, turtle species have returned and more than 40 per cent of the coral fragments replanted in Maya Bay have survived.

Thon calls it “a very satisfactory figure obtained thanks to the absence of visitors.”

To make a full recovery though, these coral reefs would need another two decades without visitors. (continues)

Source BangkokJack

 

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Reviving Thai tourism may take years

 The government’s plan to end quarantine for vaccinated visitors is “a fight to win foreign tourists,” Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.
But analysts and industry executives see it as a long road to recovery fraught with risks of periodic virus resurgence and unpredictable travel trends.

A return to the pre-pandemic levels of tourist arrivals and spending will likely take a few years, according to Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the president of the Thai Hotels Association.

It’s unlikely that large groups of visitors will immediately head to Thailand given the volatile nature of global travel and the coronavirus situation, she said.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is here, but at the same time it will be a slow climb back to the levels seen before the pandemic,” Ms Marisa said.

“Travel is still so volatile so we have to manage our risks. Keeping costs low will still remain a key strategy for all the hotels in Thailand.”

Thailand will end quarantine for vaccinated visitors from low-risk nations from Nov 1, joining a growing list of nations reopening to cross-border travellers ahead of the year-end holiday season, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Monday.

The surprise announcement saw the nation’s currency surge the most in more than two weeks, and stocks of airport operators, hotels and airlines rally to lift the benchmark index to a one-month high.

Ekasit Kunadirekwong (analyst, Krungsri Securities):
With the “bold move,” tourism recovery is expected to accelerate in the fourth quarter along with rising vaccination rate and roll-out of booster shots.

Thailand’s low vaccination rate of 32% could lead to a spike in new cases upon reopening for inbound travellers and easing of restrictions for business activities.

Krungsri expects Thailand’s population to reach 70% vaccination rate by year-end with tourist arrivals forecast maintained at 300,000 this year, 14 million in 2022, 34 million in 2023 and a rebound to pre-pandemic levels of 40 million by 2024.

 Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn (Minister for Tourism and Sports):
Thailand’s reopening plan coincides with many other nations’ efforts to allow easier cross-border travel and is a fight to win foreign tourists in the next few months.

The ministry wants to attract travellers from China the most, and may seek travel bubbles with Asean nations if they are low-risk countries and travellers have been fully vaccinated.

Sunthorn Thongthip (analyst, Kasikorn Securities):
This will help remove the barriers preventing tourists from coming to Thailand and to stimulate economic activity during the New Year festive period.

He sees upside to the Bank of Thailand’s 2022 GDP forecast of 3.9% which is based on tourist arrivals estimate of 6 million next year.

Every 3 million tourist arrivals in Thailand will create 1% upside to GDP growth.

He expects the baht to rise to 32.75 v. the US dollar by end-2021.

Kasikorn Securities is positive toward the Thai equities market as the reopening should benefit domestic and tourism-related sectors. The brokerage sees upside to its 12-month forward SET Index target of 1,680.

Kampon Adireksombat (deputy managing director, SCB Securities’ Chief Investment Office):
The reopening may be positive for Thai stocks in the short term but upside is limited as the market has partially digested the news.

The economic recovery still faces many downside risks and we need to monitor how many tourists actually come in, especially from China, the biggest source of visitors pre-Covid.

Supant Mongkolsuthree (chairman, the Federation of Thai Industries):
The reopening is necessary to boost the Thai economy as tourism accounts for more than 10% of GDP.

Thailand needs to reopen to gain more income and benefit from global economic recovery. If not, the nation will only suffer from higher costs due to rising oil prices. – Bangkok Post

Source - BangkokJack

 

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Travelers can enter Thailand by sea & land from Dec 24

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided last week to allow travellers to enter Thailand by sea and land, in addition to current access by air.
The north-eastern province of Nong Khai, bordering the Lao PDR, will be the first overland entry point to reopen on December 24th, according to CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin.

To enter Thailand via a seaport, travellers are required to be fully inoculated, have passed an RT-PCR test within the 72 hours prior to departure or since their last port of call, to have no infections among passengers and crew on the same vessel and have “Thailand Pass” registration before arrival.

Travellers under the “Test and Go” program will be exempted from quarantine and from providing proof of hotel bookings. “Sandbox” program travellers will have to stay at a hotel in the “sandbox” area for five days and have proof of SHA+ booking payments.

Dr. Taweesin said children under 6, who are accompanied by their parents, will not be subject to RT-PCR tests, but their parents must have negative results from RT-PCR tests taken within the 72 hours prior to travel and will be required to take rapid antigen tests upon arrival.

For Thais who want to travel abroad and need a vaccine passport, he said the CCSA has approved the use of the “Mor Prom” application to apply for the document online.

According to the CCSA, 104,065 foreign and Thai travellers entered Thailand between November 1st and 25th under the “Test and Go”, “sandbox” and quarantine programs. Of these, 135 or 0.13% were found to be infected with COVID-19. – ThaiPBS

Source - BangkokJack

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Business operators rejoice after alcohol sales and drinks are allowed in qualified restaurants in Pattaya, what is the next step?

Business operators have rejoiced in Pattaya after alcohol sales and drinks were finally allowed in qualified restaurants yesterday, after an 8-month ban/prohibition due to Covid-19 regulations in Chonburi.

The Chonburi Governor released new orders last night through their Public Relations Facebook page yesterday allowing (December 4th) alcohol sales and drinks which are now allowed in the Chonburi ‘Blue Zone’ areas including Pattaya, Koh Larn, Sattahip, and Banglamung.

The orders came only a few hours after a rally on Walking Street by a large group of business owners and tourist associations, although it was not immediately clear if the two were directly connected.

Business owners had been putting increasing pressure on the government to lift the ban for over a month.

Last night many restaurants, cafés, and buffet restaurants reopened or allowed the sales of alcohol in Pattaya. Officially, the order only allows SHA (Safety and Health Administration) Plus venues to sell alcohol, which requires over 70 percent of staff to be vaccinated and going through a certification process, meeting many standards, with the Department of Public Health.

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/12/04/business-operators-rejoice-after-alcohol-sales-and-drinks-are-allowed-in-qualified-restaurants-in-pattaya-what-is-the-next-step/

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thai immigration launches new online 90 day reporting system

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has announced the launch of a new online 90 day reporting system.

The new system, which went live on Dec 2, is available under the Online Services section of the Immigration Bureau’s website, and by selecting TM47, which is the official name of the form used for 90 day reporting.

To use the new online 90 day reporting system, foreigners must register here: https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add

Registration information must be submitted in English.

Once verified, a password will be sent to the registered email address (it took around 2 hours for us to receive the password - check your spam folder!)

Online 90 day reports can be used up to 15 days in advance of the date the 90 day report is due.

Immigration says confirmation of the 90 day report should be returned within 3 days of it being submitted.

Foreigners can also use the same system to login and check the status of their application.

It should also be noted that the online 90 day reporting system can not be used if a foreigner is completing their first 90 day report, nor can it be used to complete the first 90 day report after receiving a new passport.

In both instances, the foreigner needs to submit the 90 day report in person at their local immigration office. After that, they will be able to use the 90 day online system.

To coincide with the launch of the new online 90 day reporting system, the Immigration Bureau has also launched a new online appointment booking system, which allows foreigners to book an appointment at their local immigration office.

Once selected, the appointment button gives users an option to select the region of the country where their nearest immigration office is located.

At the time of writing, Bangkok Immigration (Division 1) was not listed in the online appointment system. It should also be noted the appointment system may not work if using a VPN.

 Source - ASIAN NOW

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Entertainment SHUTDOWN is ‘likely’ to be extended

The government will not impose a national lockdown despite overseas concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but the closure of entertainment venues will likely be extended, the prime minister said on Thursday.
Prayut Chan-o-cha said a nationwide closure was unnecessary. The government would cope by continuing to test arriving travellers for the new variant.

“Harsh measures are not necessary. There are RT-PCR tests and quarantine is required pending test results,” he said.

The government needed to prioritise both public safety and the national economy. It was not easy to keep the balance. Under the circumstances, the government would delay its plan for antigen testing of arrivals instead of the RT-PCR tests, the prime minister said.

In the interests of public health, the government might also have to further delay the reopening of pubs, bars and karaoke shops, he said.

“We would like to wait and see for a month. In this matter, we must listen to doctors and health authorities,” Gen Prayut said.

“Enclosed venues where crowds gather and drink pose high risks. That will be put on hold. Assistance measures will be proposed to the cabinet soon,” the prime minister said.

When there is a new disease, there must be measures to cope with it, he added.

Gen Prayut confirmed that the government was tracing arrivals from southern Africa for Covid-19 tests, because Omicron infections were detected from that region.

He asked the public to inform the government if they know of the whereabouts of such people.

He said no Omicron case had been detected in Thailand to date. – Bangkok Post

Source - BangkokJack

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